Business Growth — August 2026 — Leadership & Legal Marketing
This week I’m in Nashville for the Lunch Hour Legal Marketing Summit, sitting on the CEO panel, sitting in sessions, and making connections with people solving the same problems I am. It’s two and a half packed days, and I’ll come home with more useful ideas than I could generate on my own in a month at the office.
Here’s what I hear back most when I tell law firm owners they should do the same thing: “I don’t have time,” or “I’m not even sure which one is worth my time.” Both are real. Neither is a reason to sit this out.
“Discipline equals freedom.”
— Jocko Willink
The Excuse I Hear Most: “I Don’t Have Time”
I get it. You’re running a firm, managing a team, carrying a caseload, and probably answering client texts at 9pm. Time feels like the one resource you can’t manufacture more of.
But look at what “no time” actually means when you dig into it: it almost always means no priority, not no hours. I’m heading into week two of training for Hyrox Tampa this same week I’m traveling to Nashville. I’m not skipping a single workout — hotel gym or not — because the training is scheduled, not optional. The same has to be true for the time you spend growing your business, not just running it.
If a conference, or any investment in yourself and your firm, keeps losing to “I don’t have time,” the real problem isn’t your calendar. It’s that nothing has forced it onto the calendar yet.
The Other Excuse: “I Don’t Know Where to Spend My Time”
This one is just as common, and honestly more dangerous, because it doesn’t feel like an excuse — it feels like caution. You don’t want to waste two days and a flight on the wrong room.
Here’s the filter I’d use: skip anything that’s mostly about becoming a better trial lawyer. You already know how to try a case — that’s not your growth edge anymore. Look instead for something focused on the business of law: marketing, operations, leadership, scaling systems. That’s where the compounding return actually lives.
And if you’re still not sure which one, that’s a fair question to bring to someone who’s already sitting in those rooms. I’m happy to point you toward a few worth your time — just reach out.
Why This Isn’t Optional If You Want to Grow
A room full of law firm owners and marketers solving the same problems you are will change how you think about your firm faster than another quarter of business-as-usual will. New ideas don’t show up on their own schedule. You have to go stand where they are.
The firms that keep growing years three, five, and ten in aren’t run by owners who happened to get lucky with a good idea. They’re run by owners who treat ongoing education and outside perspective as non-negotiable — the same way they treat payroll or client intake.
What This Looks Like in a Coaching Relationship
This is exactly the kind of decision I help clients make: not just “should I go to a conference,” but where your limited time, energy, and budget actually deserve to go so they compound instead of scatter across a dozen half-finished priorities.
Here’s what we build together:
- A clear picture of which investments of time (conferences, hires, systems, marketing spend) actually move your firm’s specific target
- A calendar built so leaving the office to learn doesn’t create chaos when you get back
- A short list of the 2-3 activities that matter most this quarter, so “no time” stops being the default answer
- Accountability that keeps the good ideas you bring home from dying in your inbox by week two
The result isn’t just a fuller conference badge collection. It’s a firm that keeps compounding instead of plateauing.
Schedule Your Free Strategy Call →
Pick One. Put It on the Calendar This Week.
You don’t need to attend five conferences this year. You need one, focused on the business of law or legal marketing, on your calendar before December — and a plan for making sure what you learn actually gets used.
If “I don’t have time” or “I don’t know where to spend it” has been the real reason you’ve stayed in place this year, that’s worth paying attention to. It’s usually not a time problem. It’s a priorities and clarity problem, and that’s exactly what I help law firm owners fix.
I work with a small group of law firm owners and founders at a time. I don’t take on volume — I take on people who are serious about building something significant and are willing to do the daily work to get there.
30 minutes. No pitch. Just clarity on where you are, where you want to go, and whether working together makes sense.
Chris Keller is a business coach, attorney, and founder of Ascend Legal Partners. He built a personal injury law firm from 1 employee to 80+ across multiple states before transitioning to coaching law firm owners and entrepreneurs on scaling with intention. He hosts The First Light podcast and is currently training for Hyrox Tampa. Learn more at callchriskeller.com/coaching.
